1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of vending machines and, more particularly, to an oscillator-type dispensing system for a vending machine.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Vending machines are commonly utilized in dispensing a wide range of products, including canned and bottled beverages, edible food items, and other consumer products. In the case of dispensing beverage products, it is desirable to configure a vending machine such that it is capable of dispensing various different sized and configured beverage containers. That is, as manufacturers of beverage products alter their container designs, it is desirable to not require the vending machine itself to be reconfigured, at least substantially, to accommodate a new product. Of course, the reliability of the overall dispensing system of the vending machine must be maintained.
For use in connection with dispensing canned and bottled beverage products, there is typically employed either a vend rotor or oscillator which is driven by a vend motor to sequentially dispense the beverage containers. In the case of the rotor, this arrangement generally takes the form of a cradle which initially receives one or more of the beverage products to be dispensed. Such cradles are typically semi-cylindrical in shape and mounted for rotation about a fore-to-aft extending axis under a column or stack of stored products. As the cradle rotates, the product(s) carried therein is dispensed. Typically, the cradle will be compartmentalized such that two or more fore-to-aft spaced products can be supported at any given time, with each product being sequentially dropped from the cradle as the cradle oscillates back and forth, whereupon the cradle receives one or more additional products for dispensing. Known oscillator-type dispensing arrangements work on a generally similar principal, except that the corresponding product support or retention structure is driven to oscillate back and forth through a predetermined angle for dispensing sequential containers from a stack.
Therefore, in connection with these conventional can and bottle vending machines, motors are employed to establish the required rotation or oscillation which, in turn, functions to release stored products from within a storage rack. Whether the motor is coupled to a rotating (rotor) or oscillating (oscillator or bail) vending device, the overall system design must be configured to accommodate the particular product parameters. To this end, vendors typically employ a variety of shims, bottle rods, rod sleeves or the like to adjust the vending geometry as needed. Obviously, requiring these additional components to provide vending flexibility is undesirable, costly to manufacture, and increases overall assembly time. One particular concern with respect to oscillating type dispensing systems is the retention characteristics, particularly when a single oscillator can be used in connection with various different products. To this end, problems of product crushing, lifting and/or pinching can develop which, in turn, can cause motor or product jams, stack or column wall bowing, and the like problems. In general, known prior art arrangements of this type exhibit two dimensional product retention.
Based on the above, there exists a need in the art for an improved product delivery system for a vending machine which is designed to flexibly accommodate future package configurations, such as the length and/or diameter of various beverage containers, without requiring an undue number of components, while exhibiting controlled and reliable vending. Therefore, there exists a need to enhance the versatility of a vending machine dispensing assembly.